


Piano Benches are Technically Not Too Small For Two People

by obese_dolphin



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, No Plot/Plotless, One Shot, Piano, Romantic Fluff, piano lesson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:00:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29372727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obese_dolphin/pseuds/obese_dolphin
Summary: Shuichi Saihara gets a piano lesson from his crush, Kaede Akamatsu.
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Saihara Shuichi
Kudos: 29





	Piano Benches are Technically Not Too Small For Two People

Piano benches are not meant for two people. The fact came to Shuichi as he sat gently, his arm barely touching the warm entity that was occupying the other side of the bench, the wrinkled sleeve of her sweater brushing against his arm as she played. He watched as Akamatsu gently placed her hands on the keys of the piano, her hands moving delicately but quickly, long fingers quietly selecting the buttons to press and the pressure to push them down. It was almost mesmerizing for him to watch, each button corresponding to a sound. Her hands seemed to know what to press, making the whole room flood with the sound of the strangely sweet and beautiful composition. And slowly, he turned his head.

Akamatsu’s face came into view, her hair gently running down her back. Shuichi watched as her entire body concentrated, focused on playing the song. He saw her eyes staring at the keys in front of her with that familiar gaze of determination he saw whenever he’d spoken to her before as they’d worked together on many projects. He could remember her optimistic words as they sat together, working on projects they’d done for school. Or maybe the many times she’d helped out her friends despite not even understanding the task. And even when she’d fail due to her inexperience, she’d just smile and say, “Okay, let’s try again!”

She’s amazing, thought Shuichi as he stared. She does so much. She even chooses to hang out with a guy like me despite the fact that she can do so much better.

And as he gazed at her again, lost in the song she was playing, his gaze meeting her once again as he noticed little things. The way her face looked when she was lost in concentration, the way her arms held themselves as she played as she stared at whatever she was looking at. And the way her mouth closed, how her lips slowly curled into a slight smile as her cheery personality leaked through her concentration. Shuichi smiled just then as he stared, completely lost in thought. 

“...beautiful,” he whispered almost inaudibly. And slowly, Akamatsu’s playing came to a stop and Shuichi realized that Akamatsu had heard him.

“Huh? Did you say something, Saihara?” Kaede asked suddenly, turning her head so that Shuichi’s theory was only further amplified. 

“Yeah, uh, I,” Shuichi stuttered, “y-your playing, Akamatsu. It’s… really good.”

“Thank you.” Akamatsu smiled for a second, paused, and then smiled wider. “You know what, Saihara? You just gave me an idea.”

“What is it?” asked Shuichi curiously, fidgeting and hoping Akamatsu couldn’t hear his heartbeat.

“Let me show you how to play the piano.” Her smile was infectious and evil at the same time. It also caused Shuichi to blush a little bit.

He opened his mouth to speak slowly, swallowed and nodded. “Sure.”

“Great!” Akamatsu slipped off the bench and got around Shuichi. “I’ll just get off so you have enough space.”

Shuichi noticed the lack of warmth beside him and was filled with a strange disappointment for a second before Akamatsu reached an arm around him and pressed down a key close to the center of the piano. “This is middle C. It’s the note in the middle of the piano and it connects the treble and bass clef…”

Although he didn’t really understand the theory, Shuichi got lost in the way she spoke as she placed her arms around him and slowly made him press down keys.

“No, you have to curve your fingers more,” Akamatsu explained. “Don’t keep them completely flat.”

“Like this?” Shuichi attempted to do what Akamatsu was saying.

“No, you have to curl them more. Relax them.”

“Huh?”

“Here, I’ll show you.” Akamatsu lifted a limp hand up and placed it next to Shuichi. “See?”

Shuichi raised his hand and brought it next to hers, attempting to imitate what he saw. “So it’s like this?”

“Yes, that’s it! That’s perfect, Saihara!” she said through a wide smile as Shuichi placed his hands back on the keyboard. “Here, I’ll teach you a song.”

Two hours later, Shuichi could play a very slow, uneven rendition of the Flea Waltz. Compared to Akamatsu’s playing, it didn’t seem very special but it seemed to make her smile each time. Every single time she praised Shuichi, something in him made his heart pound faster and suddenly he was overcome with a desire to do even better to impress her as his heart pounded a million miles an hour in his chest. Slowly, he repeated the song again.

Just then, he could feel her hand next to him again, absentmindedly adding more notes to his playing. Shuichi slowly turned his head, forgetting how to move his hands as he sat still and Akamatsu blushed. “Oh, sorry, I messed you up, I should’ve asked first.”

“No, no, it’s okay,” Shuichi stammered. “It sounded nice.”

“That’s what I was going for.” Akamatsu smiled one of her infectious smiles again as she placed her hands on the keys and plopped herself on the seat next to him. “Let’s play a duet, Saihara.”  
“A-are you sure? I wouldn’t want to mess you up.”

“You won’t mess me up, you’re doing great. Just keep doing what you’ve practiced.”

Slowly, the pair placed their hands back on the keys and Shuichi began playing the Flea Waltz once again. Akamatsu’s hands landed an octave up as she started by doing what he was doing for a second before her hands slowly danced along the keys, turning the song into a complicated, looping melody that left Shuichi in confusion and in awe, her familiar look of determination filling her face once again as he felt his hands barely moving, the look of Akamatsu’s hands bringing him into a trace. Kaede Akamatsu, he noticed, was extremely beautiful in every way. With the way she acted, spoke and looked she just was. Something about that drew Shuichi in, hypnotizing him as he continued to stare, his gaze fixated on her. Slowly, his hands became slower and slower as Akamatsu’s moved faster and faster in her controlled, practiced way. She was ignoring the world around her to do the thing that she loves once again, a trait that Shuichi really admired and fell for. One of her many traits that caused him to fall… 

His gaze met her again and immediately, he was filled with a billion thoughts once again. Thoughts of Akamatsu and her personality and the way she stuck with him despite the fact that he was always pathetic like this. The way she was so optimistic that she could brighten any room and how she was so kind without needing to be. And the way she moved her hands along the keys as she played piano. Little things, the face she’d make when she’d pout and the way her eyes would light up as she smiled her infectious smile a billion times. Or the way her mouth moved when she talked. And how she was so close, looking like something he could not quite comprehend, causing his feelings to go berserk as he stood still and attempted to stay still. Were all of Shuichi’s crushes this intense or was it just the existence of Kaede Akamatsu that made him feel this way? Did Akamatsu always look like this? Slowly, Shuichi began noticing things he shouldn’t have. They were close again, stuck together on the piano bench like this. If she turned her head, her lips would be inches away from this and then…

Akamatsu turned her head, concern on her face. “Saihara? Are you okay? You stopped playing.”

“I…” Shuichi looked her in the face and for a second, he forgot how to speak. His mouth opened and formed the words but he ended up saying something he didn’t intend to say. “I like you, Akamatsu.”

“H-huh?” Akamatsu was always expressive. This time was no different. Still, she somehow managed to regain her composure and blow Shuichi off his feet. “I-I mean, uh, I like you too. Saihara.”

Shuichi stared at her for a few seconds, his brain immediately calculating every small detail. Her hair is blond. Her sweater is pink. Her eyes are purple. Wait, what did she say? She likes me too? She likes me too. She likes me too! Is this a dream? Wait no… I don’t dream about this stuff. Do I? I gotta check the script. I have to—

“Saihara?” Akamatsu asked. “Are you alright?”

“Y-yeah just… it’s a lot to think about.” He chuckled. “You really like a guy like me?”

“Of course, Saihara! Jeez… you’re literally the nicest guy I know. Why wouldn’t I like you?” She sighed and suddenly leaned into his shoulder and spoke softly. “You know that right?”

“Yeah,” Shuichi whispered, suddenly forgetting the fear of being so close to Akamatsu. “Yeah, I get it.”

Slowly, she slid her fingers through his so that they intertwined as she spoke gently. “I’m really glad, Saihara. I thought I was the only one who felt this way…”

“Why would you think that? You’re the most amazing person I know.” Shuichi could feel himself blushing but he ignored it. Akamatsu always told him to be brave, after all.

“It’s funny that you’re saying that to me. I guess I did a good job then, huh?” Akamatsu chuckled pulled herself farther away from him and met his gaze. Slowly, Shuichi did the same, staring into her eyes as the sudden realization hit him. She was… warm. Really warm. It felt nice. It almost compelled him to go closer, but he stopped. She might not want to do that. The last thing he’d want is to drive her away.

“What are you waiting for, Saihara?” asked Akamatsu. He could see that she was blushing as he sat and felt the barely cushioned seat of the piano bench under him.

“I don’t want to scare you off,” replied Shuichi.

“Don’t make me do everything myself, Saihara,” Akamatsu said with a playful sigh.

“I’m sorry.” He paused. “I-if you wanted to we could…”

In response to that, Akamatsu placed a warm hand on Shuichi’s cheek and began moving forward slowly. As she moved, Shuichi felt his eyes slide shut as he slowly leaned in for the kiss, his brain suddenly stopping as a single thought entered his mind.

Piano benches might not be meant for two people, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. He felt his hand curl within hers as his brain acknowledged this new fact.


End file.
